Unique Middle Names for Girls

Marvel

English word name

Marvel, now a character name in The Hunger Games series, was a miracle name of yesterday, on the girls' Social Security list until 1941 and reaching a high of 487 at the turn of the last century,…

Ione

Greek

"violet flower"

This unusual Greek flower and color name has gained considerable recent attention via actress Ione Skye, who is the daughter of sixties folksinger Donovan. Ione was one of the fifty sea nymphs —…

Miel

French

"honey"

A sweet way—literally—to honor a Melissa or a Pamela.

Vale

Geographical name

Today Show anchor Savannah Guthrie put this name of a geographical feature on the baby name map when she chose it for her newborn daughter, Vale Guthrie Feldman. Vale might be considered part nature…

Fleur

French

"flower"

Fleur is a generic, delicate flower name that emigrated into the English-speaking world when John Galsworthy bestowed it on one of the Forsytes in his celebrated saga. More recently, there was Fleur…

Holiday

English word name

"holy day"

A fun and confident choice, Holiday is a celebratory name, particularly associated with Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year, and with rest, leisure, and vacations more generally. Fitting…

North

Word name

North's image and gender status was irrevocably changed when Kim Kardashian and Kanye West announced it as the name of their newborn daughter. But why not? West is firmly established as a name,…

Bee

Animal name or English diminutive of Beatrice, Latin

"she who brings happiness"

We've seen Beatrice and Beatrix climb in popularity, along with traditional nickname Bea. And now there's Bee, giving it a buzzy nature world spin, plus a tie to popular late night TV''s Samantha…

Jinx

Word name

"spell, curse, bringer of bad luck"

Jinx, a James Bond heroine name has an ominous meaning but kinetic energy. In the film "Die Another Day," the actual first name of the character played by Halle Berry is Giacinta. It could therefore…

Bay

English word, Old English

"an inlet of the sea where the land curves inward; berry"

One of the most usable of the pleasant, newly adopted nature/water names (like Lake and Ocean), especially in middle position. It's gentle, slightly whimsical, but grounded by its similarity to May…

Eleven

English word name

"eleven"

If Erykah Badu can name her son Seven, why can't you name your daughter (or son) this? Eleven has recently gotten a lot of attention via the character on the TV show Stranger Things .

Marine

Latin

"from the sea"

Marine was trending for a long time in France, but the far right politician Marine (born Marion) LePen has dampened the mood.

Plum

Fruit name

British-born novelist Plum Sykes has taken this rich, fruity name out of the produce section and put it into the baby name basket. It's more appealing than Apple, more presentable than Peaches. The…

Poe

English

"peacock"

Hip new middle-name choice, conjuring up the gothic tales of Edgar Allan, and current single-named pop singer Poe. As a first name, it's radically underused, given last year in the US to only five…

Reeve

English occupational name

"bailiff, sheriff, local official"

Chosen by aviators Charles and Anne Lindbergh for their daughter, Reeve could work as a distinctive alternative to Reese. While it is currently more popular for boys, nine girls received the name in…

Hero

Greek

"demi-god"

Despite the possibility of gender confusion, the Hero in Greek myth was a woman. Myleene Klass got that when she chose Hero for her daughter, and Sam Taylor-Wood and Aaron Johnson used it as their…

Kismet

Word name

"fate"

The next Destiny? Kismet seems like it might be fated for increased use.

Whimsy

English word name

"whimsical or fanciful"

Whimsy is a new entry to the ever-expanding word name lexicon, sister for Pixie and Bliss. While it has an undeniable offbeat English aristocratic charm (maybe we're thinking of Dorothy Sayers'…

Citron

French

"lemon"

A Gallic twist on a word or nature name, which has a nice lemony feel.

Meraki

Greek

"doing something with soul, love, creativity, or devotion"

Meraki is one of those untranslatable words that only exist in a single language. It's the Greek concept of putting your whole heart into something. NPR says, "Meraki is often used to describe…